Virtual world embedded security watermarking

ABSTRACT

A method, apparatus, and program product are provided for using watermarks to embed security features on avatars in a virtual world. A watermark engine receives security information for an avatar in a virtual world. The watermark engine creates a watermark for the avatar using the security information and associates the watermark with the avatar. The watermark may comprise at least one of: security preferences for the avatar, contact information for an owner of the avatar, and graphical information to cause alteration of the avatar when the avatar is recorded.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of avatars in a virtual world andmore particularly to embedded security watermarks for protecting theprivacy of avatars or aspects thereof.

BACKGROUND

In real life, a video recording can be used to capture live action,people, and circumstances unique to a moment in time. Home videos are avery common use for this type of medium and typically do not presentsignificant liability issues. In some cases, however, particularly in acommercial use or public display of a video, recorded content mayinfringe upon the rights of those that appear in the video (i.e.participants). In these cases, discretion may be necessary for thedisplay and sharing of the video content. In some instances releases orpermission are obtained from the participants in the video. Typically, arelease is obtained in the form of a signed contract granting permissionto use images of a person or other images that are the property ofanother.

Images in a virtual world may also be recorded. Avatars (a virtual worlduser's presence in a virtual world including an image viewable by otherusers in the virtual world) may be altered when recorded to preventother users from capturing the avatar.

SUMMARY

According to a sample embodiment of the present invention, acomputer-implemented method is provided for using watermarks to embedsecurity features on avatars in a virtual world. The method comprisesreceiving security information for an avatar in a virtual world;creating a watermark for the avatar comprising the security information;and associating the watermark with the avatar. The watermark maycomprise at least one of: security preferences for the avatar, contactinformation for an owner of the avatar, and graphical information tocause alteration of the avatar when the avatar is recorded.

In one embodiment, the watermark comprises a security preference for theavatar and graphical information that causes alteration of an image ofthe avatar when the avatar is recorded. In response to a user recordingthe watermarked avatar, an avatar engine

compares a user identification with the security preference. In responseto the user identification not satisfying the security preference, theavatar engine alters the recorded avatar image using the graphicalinformation.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a computersystem is provided for using watermarks to embed security features onavatars in a virtual world. The computer system comprises: a serverinterconnected with a plurality of clients through a network, a virtualworld program stored on the memory and comprising a computer-readableprogram of instruction executable by the processor to provide aninteractive virtual world environment to users of the plurality ofclients, and a watermark program stored on the memory and comprising acomputer-readable program of instruction executable by the processor toembed a security watermark on an avatar. The server comprises aninterconnected processor and memory. The watermark program comprises acomputer-readable program of instruction executable by the processor to:receive security information for an avatar in a virtual world; create awatermark for the avatar comprising the security information; andassociate the watermark with the avatar.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a computerprogram product is provided for using watermarks to embed securityfeatures on avatars in a virtual world. The computer program productcomprises a computer-readable storage media having encoded thereonprogram instructions for providing a watermark for an avatar in avirtual world. The program instructions comprise: program instructionsfor receiving security information for an avatar in a virtual world;program instructions for creating a watermark for the avatar comprisingthe security information; and program instructions for associating thewatermark with the avatar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the invention will be more clearlyunderstood from the following detailed description of the preferredembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.Included in the drawing are the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for using watermarks to embedsecurity features on avatars in a virtual world to protect avatars oraspects thereof according to a sample embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for embedding a security watermarkfor protecting the privacy of an avatar or aspects thereof according toa sample embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method of protecting an avatar or aspectsthereof using an embedded security watermark according to a sampleembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method for obtaining contact informationfrom an embedded watermark according to a sample embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a method, system and computer programproduct for using watermarks to embed security features on avatars in avirtual world.

A virtual world is a simulated environment in which users may berepresented by avatars. An avatar may be used to “travel” throughlocations of the virtual world, such as virtual streets, buildings,rooms, etc. While in a given location, an avatar may also be used tointeract with objects or other avatars present therein. For example, anavatar may be able to approach another avatar, and may interact with theother avatar by communicating, performing financial transactions, andthe like. Thus, multiple users, although in different physicallocations, may be present in the same virtual location, and may interacttherein by using their respective avatars.

One way that avatars may interact in a virtual world is by recordingother avatars. As in the real world, some users may wish to limit orcontrol the use and distribution of recorded images of their avatars.According to a sample embodiment of the present invention, a user cancreate a watermark for his/her avatar to embed security preferences forimages of the avatar and control use of the images.

In the following description, reference is made to embodiments of theinvention. However, it should be understood that the invention is notlimited to specific described embodiments. Instead, any combination ofthe following features and elements, whether related to differentembodiments or not, is contemplated to implement and practice theinvention. Furthermore, in various embodiments the invention providesnumerous advantages over the prior art. However, although embodiments ofthe invention may achieve advantages over other possible solutionsand/or over the prior art, whether or not a particular advantage isachieved by a given embodiment is not limiting of the invention. Thus,the following aspects, features, embodiments and advantages are merelyillustrative and are not considered elements or limitations of theappended claims except where explicitly recited in a claim(s). Likewise,reference to “the invention” shall not be construed as a generalizationof any inventive subject matter disclosed herein and shall not beconsidered to be an element or limitation of the appended claims exceptwhere explicitly recited in a claim(s).

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a client server view of acomputing environment 100, according to one embodiment of the invention.As shown, computing environment 100 includes client computers 110,network 115 and server system 120. In one embodiment, the computersystems illustrated in environment 100 may include existing computersystems, e.g., desktop computers, server computers, laptop computers,tablet computers, and the like. The computing environment 100illustrated in FIG. 1, however, is merely an example of one computingenvironment. Embodiments of the present invention may be implementedusing other environments, regardless of whether the computer systems arecomplex multi-user computing systems, such as a cluster of individualcomputers connected by a high-speed network, single-user workstations,or network appliances lacking non-volatile storage. Further, thesoftware applications illustrated in FIG. 1 and described herein may beimplemented using computer software applications executing on existingcomputer systems, e.g., desktop computers, server computers, laptopcomputers, tablet computers, and the like. However, the softwareapplications described herein are not limited to any currently existingcomputing environment or programming language, and may be adapted totake advantage of new computing systems as they become available.

As shown, each client computer 110 includes a central processing unit(CPU) 102 (also referred to as a “processor”, herein), which obtainsinstructions and data via a bus 104 from client memory 107 and clientstorage 104. CPU 102 is a programmable logic device that performs allthe instruction, logic, and mathematical processing in a computer.Client storage 104 stores application programs and data for use byclient computer 110. Client storage 104 includes hard-disk drives, flashmemory devices, optical media and the like. It should be understood thatprograms may be transferred in whole or in part to a random accessmemory (RAM) not shown, which is also interconnected through the bus104, then executed by the CPU 102 from the RAM. Client computer 110 isoperably connected to the network 115, such as through a network adapter118, for example. Client memory 107 includes an operating system (OS)106, a client application 108, and a communication application 109 suchas email, instant messenger, or the like. Operating system 108 is thesoftware used for managing the operation of the client computer 110.Examples of OS 108 include UNIX, a version of the Microsoft Windows™operating system, and distributions of the Linux™ operating system.(Note, Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States andother countries.)

In one embodiment, the client application 109 provides a softwareprogram that allows a user to connect to a virtual world 130 on theserver 120, and once connected, to perform various user actions withinthe virtual world. Such actions may include exploring virtual locations,interacting with other avatars, and interacting with virtual objects.Further, the client application 109 may be configured to generate anddisplay a visual representation of the user within the immersiveenvironment, generally referred to as an avatar. The avatar of the useris generally visible to other users in the virtual world, and the usermay view avatars representing the other users. The client application109 may also be configured to generate and display the immersiveenvironment to the user and to transmit the user's desired actions tothe virtual world 130. Such a display may include content from thevirtual world determined from the user's line of sight at any giventime. For the user, the display may present a third-person perspective,meaning a view from a location other than that of the user's avatar, andwhich may include the image of the user's avatar within the virtualworld. Alternatively, the display may present a first-personperspective, meaning a view of the virtual world as would be seenthrough the eyes of the avatar representing the user.

The user may view the virtual world using a display device 112, such asan LCD or CRT monitor display, and interact with the client application109 using input devices 114. Further, in one embodiment, the user mayinteract with the client application 109 and the virtual world 130 usinga variety of virtual reality interaction devices 160. For example, theuser may don a set of virtual reality goggles that have a screen displayfor each lens. Further, the goggles could be equipped with motionsensors that cause the view of the virtual world presented to the userto move based on the head movements of the individual. As anotherexample, the user could don a pair of gloves configured to translatemotion and movement of the user's hands into avatar movements within thevirtual reality environment. Of course, embodiments of the invention arenot limited to these examples and one of ordinary skill in the art willreadily recognize that the invention may be adapted for use with avariety of devices configured to present the virtual world to the userand to translate movement/motion or other actions of the user intoactions performed by the avatar representing that user within thevirtual world 130.

In a virtual world environment, users are known to record actions orsituations occurring in the virtual world including his/her avatar, theavatar of another user, and/or objects or locations within the virtualworld. However, the owners of other avatars and/or objects and locationsmay want to limit or control the distribution and use of recorded imagesof their avatars, locations, and/or objects. One method for discouragingunauthorized recording and use of an avatar is to cause the avatar imageto be altered when it is recorded.

As shown, the server system 120 includes a CPU or processor 122, whichobtains instructions and data via a bus 124 from memory 126 and storage125. The processor 122 could be any processor adapted to support themethods of the invention. The memory 126 is any memory sufficientlylarge to hold the necessary programs and data structures. Memory 126could be one or a combination of memory devices, including Random AccessMemory, nonvolatile or backup memory, (e.g., programmable or Flashmemories, read-only memories, etc.). In addition, memory 126 and storage125 may be considered to include memory physically located elsewhere ina server 120, for example, on another computer coupled to the server 120via bus 124. The server system 120 may be operably connected to thenetwork 115, which generally represents any kind of data communicationsnetwork. Accordingly, the network 115 may represent both local and widearea networks, including the Internet.

In one embodiment, storage 125 may include a set of avatars 131 that canbe manipulated in the virtual world 130 through client application 109on client computer 110. The avatars comprise code which defines theappearance of the avatar image to users of the virtual world. Forexample, the avatar may be a visual representation of the user or theuser's alter ego in the form of a three-dimensional model. A watermark132 may be embedded on the avatar to provide security for the avatarimage in the virtual world. The watermark 132 comprises program codethat may perform one or more security functions, including: securitypreferences for the avatar, contact information for an owner of theavatar, and graphical information to cause alteration of the avatar whenthe avatar is recorded.

Security preferences may comprise any data structure suited to thecurrent application, such as a database table, XML document, flat file,and the like. The security preference may comprise a list of other userswho are authorized to view, capture or record the avatar and perform oneor more of: distributing, displaying, and altering the recorded avatarimage and who the recorded image may be shared with. The securitypreference may also define whether or not a separate permission isrequired for each recording, use, distribution, or sharing of the avatarimage. The security preference may also define terms and conditions ofuse of recordings of the avatar, such as the extent and type ofmodification that is allowed, the duration of use allowed, how or inwhat context the avatar image may be used.

Graphical information to cause alteration of the avatar when the avataris recorded comprises program code that determines when the avatar isbeing recorded and program code to alter the avatar image in response todetecting recording of the avatar image. The avatar may be altered byone or more of: pixilation, blurring, censoring, abstracting, mirroring,or distortion of at least a part of the avatar image; change in the hue,tone, saturation, brightness, or scale of the avatar image; graphicaltext, symbol, or icon inserted over or under the avatar image; aging,fading, or scrambling the avatar image relative to other images in anenvironment; and slowing or accelerating movement of the avatar imagerelative to other images in an environment. The graphical informationmay be in the form of program code which is executed when the avatarimage is recorded using known technology.

Contact information may be imbedded in the avatar image and presentedwhen a user interacts with the recorded avatar, such as by hovering overthe avatar using a mouse, for example. The contact information may bepre-defined by the user who owns the avatar through an interactiveprogram during or after creation of the avatar. The information may beprovided in any way suitable for providing information to a program,including but not limited to through options in a pull-down menu,through a dialog box, or the like.

Contact information may include the identity of the user who owns theavatar, who may or may not contact the owner of the avatar (such as by alist or table of permitted and/or blocked avatars or users). For examplea user may only want to allow contact from a person listed as a friendon the user's profile within the virtual world or on a social network.The contact information may also include directions on how to contactthe owner for permission or licensing of the avatar image. For example,a user may prefer to be contacted by email, through the virtual worldapplication, by phone, or any other means of contact. The contactinformation may also define whether or not subsequent releases of theavatar image can be cleared via a licensing agreement and whether or notan image or video needs to be tagged to be associated with the avatarimage or user being captured and/or recorded. An event in a virtualworld known as “the metaverse”.

In one embodiment, a watermark engine 134 is stored in server memory126. The watermark engine 134 comprises program code executable by theserver processor 122 to create a watermark 132 and embed the watermark132 on an avatar 131. The watermark engine 134 may comprise menus, adialog box, or any other interactive program to allow a user tointeractively create a watermark 132.

According to one example embodiment, an avatar “Ima Director” attends anevent in a virtual world known as “the metaverse”. During the event, adance is performed by several avatars, which is recorded by ImaDirector. Two of the dancing avatars: “Ava Ex” and “Jenna Blur” havebeen embedded with watermarks by their respective owners/users toprotect their use. The Watermark for Ava Ex comprises a securitypreference that excludes Ima Director. The security preference may notallow any other avatars to capture or record it. Alternatively, thesecurity preference for Ava Ex may allow specific avatars, users, orclasses or groups of avatars or users to access the Ava Ex image withoutalteration, but not allow access by others. Graphical information isalso included in the Ava Ex watermark that causes recorded images of AvaEx to appear with a pixilated “X” on her person. The watermark for AvaEx also comprises contact information that is presented when the avataris interacted with or triggered by other users. Accordingly, when ImaDirector hovers on Ava Ex contact information is presented. The contactinformation states that no permission will ever be granted to recordthis avatar. The contact information further suggests that the user editout the Ava Ex avatar from the recorded video. In another embodiment thecontact information may alternatively or additionally allow forsubstitution with another avatar's likeness. In another alternativeembodiment, no contact information is included in the watermark, and theuser participating in the virtual world as Ima Director is unable toremove the alteration or contact the user for Ava Ex.

The watermark for Jenna Blur comprises a security preference in the formof a list or table defining who may access the Jenna Blur avatar imagewithout alteration. The watermark for Jenna Blur also comprisesinformation to cause alteration of the avatar when the avatar isrecorded. Specifically, the information blurs the face of the Jenna Bluravatar image making it difficult to recognize the identity of theavatar. The watermark for Jenna Blur further comprises contactinformation. The contact information comprises program code that opens auser's email application and the email address is provided to contactthe owner of the Jenna Blur avatar to request release of Jenna Blurimages.

Ima Director is not on the list for access to unaltered images of theJenna Blur avatar, so when the user associated with Ima Director watchesthe video recording, the Jenna Blur avatar appears with her faceblurred. Upon interacting with the Jenna Blur avatar (such as byhovering over it with a mouse), the contact information from thewatermark is triggered, and the user associated with Ima Director hashis/her email application opened and the email address for contactingthe owner of the Jenna Blur avatar is inserted. Triggering the watermarkmay optionally also cause a sampling of the unaltered image for theavatar to be displayed in the hovered area. The user associated with theIma Director avatar sends an email requesting release of the images andattaches a sample of the video.

The approval of an access agreement or authorization by the avatar owneris stored on the watermark. This authorization triggers the back endwatermark engine 134 to unlock the feature for the authorized user. Thismay be accomplished in any way that is effective for accessauthorization. For example, the owner of the Jenna Blur avatar may addIma Director to an authorized access list. Alternatively, the owner ofthe Jenna Blur avatar may enter an access code on the sample videomatching an access code on the watermark 132 to unlock the feature.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram for a method for embedding a security watermarkfor protecting the privacy of an avatar or aspects thereof according toa sample embodiment of the present invention. A user begins byrequesting creation of a watermark (step 210). The request is receivedby watermark engine 134. The user may create a watermark for an existingavatar, or he/she may create a watermark during the initial creation ofthe avatar. Then, the user defines the watermark by specifying securityinformation. The user may specify one or more of: a security preference(step 220), a contact method (step 230), contact information (step 240),and alteration (step 250).

The watermark engine 134 receives the security information entered bythe user (step 260). The watermark engine 134 then uses the securityinformation to create a watermark 132 (step 270). Then, the watermarkengine 134 associates the watermark with the corresponding avatar (step280). The watermark may be associated with a corresponding avatar byembedding the watermark in the avatar.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method of protecting an avatar or aspectsthereof using an embedded security watermark 132 according to a sampleembodiment of the present invention. A second avatar records an avatarwith a watermark in a virtual world (step 310). The watermark engine 134determines whether or not the avatar doing the recording meets thesecurity preference (step 315). That is the watermark engine 134compares the recording avatar to a security preference list to determinewhether or not the recording avatar is authorized to access the avatarwithout alteration. If the recording avatar meets the securitypreference (Y-branch), then the recording avatar is allowed to recordthe watermarked avatar without alterations to the watermarked avatar'sappearance (step 320). If the recording avatar does not meet thesecurity preference (N-branch), then the watermark engine 134 alters theappearance of the watermarked avatar according to the alteration methodpreviously defined in the watermark (step 330), and embeds thepreviously defined contact information (step 340).

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method for obtaining contact informationfrom an embedded watermark according to a sample embodiment of thepresent invention. When the user associated with the recording avatarviews the video with recorded images of the watermarked avatar, theavatar appears altered if the security preference was not met. The usermay then query the watermark 132 by hovering over it with a mouse or anyother method appropriate for triggering the watermark (step 410). Inresponse to being queried, the watermark presents the embedded contactinformation to the user (step 420)

The invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, anentirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardwareand software elements. In an exemplary embodiment, the invention isimplemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware,resident software, microcode, etc.

Furthermore, the invention may take the form of a computer programproduct accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable mediumproviding program code for use by or in connection with a computer orany instruction execution system or device. For the purposes of thisdescription, a computer-usable or computer readable medium may be anyapparatus that can contain or store the program for use by or inconnection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

The foregoing method may be realized by a program product comprising amachine-readable media having a machine-executable program ofinstructions, which when executed by a machine, such as a computer,performs the steps of the method. This program product may be stored onany of a variety of known machine-readable media, including but notlimited to compact discs, floppy discs, USB memory devices, and thelike.

The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device). Examples ofa computer-readable medium include a semiconductor or solid statememory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random accessmemory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk an opticaldisk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk-read onlymemory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.

In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of theinvention, may be part of an operating system or a specific application,component, program, module, object, or sequence of instructions. Thecomputer program of the present invention typically is comprised of amultitude of instructions that will be translated by the native computerinto a machine-readable format and hence executable instructions. Also,programs are comprised of variables and data structures that eitherreside locally to the program or are found in memory or on storagedevices. In addition, various programs described hereinafter may beidentified based upon the application for which they are implemented ina specific embodiment of the invention. However, it should beappreciated that any particular program nomenclature that follows isused merely for convenience, and thus the invention should not belimited to use solely in any specific application identified and/orimplied by such nomenclature.

The preceding description and accompanying drawing are intended to beillustrative and not limiting of the invention. The scope of theinvention is intended to encompass equivalent variations andconfigurations to the full extent of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising: aprocessor of a computer executing a program of instruction receivingsecurity information for an avatar in a virtual world, the securityinformation defines recording privileges of the avatar for other virtualworld users the processor configured to perform creating a watermark forthe avatar comprising the security information including a securitypreference for the avatar and graphical information that causesalteration of an image of the avatar when the avatar is recorded; andassociating the watermark with the avatar; selectively altering theavatar when recorded by another virtual world user based on therecording privileges; comparing a user identification with the securitypreference responsive to the another virtual world user recording saidavatar; and altering the recorded avatar image using the graphicalinformation responsive to the user identification not satisfying thesecurity preference.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said securityinformation further comprises contact information for an owner of theavatar.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said watermark furthercomprises contact information for an owner of the avatar; and inresponse to a user recording said avatar, further comprising: theprocessor embedding the contact information in the recorded avatarimage.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: in response toreceiving a query of the recorded avatar image, the processor presentingthe embedded contact information.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thesecurity preference comprises a listing of users authorized to accessthe avatar without alteration.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thealteration comprises at least one of: pixilation, blurring, censoring,abstracting, mirroring, or distortion of at least a part of the avatarimage; change in the hue, tone, saturation, brightness, or scale of theavatar image; graphical text, symbol, or icon over or under the avatarimage; aging, fading, or scrambling the avatar image relative to otherimages in an environment; and slowing or accelerating movement of theavatar image relative to other images in an environment.
 7. The methodof claim 1, wherein the security preference comprises a list of userswho may contact the avatar user.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thesecurity preference defines a part of the avatar that is altered.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the contact information comprises at leastone of: avatar user's identity, preferred method of contact, and socialnetwork information.
 10. A computer system for using watermarks to embedsecurity features on avatars in a virtual world, comprising: a serverinterconnected with a plurality of clients through a network, the severcomprising an interconnected processor and memory; a virtual worldprogram stored on the memory and comprising a computer-readable programof instruction executable by the processor to provide an interactivevirtual world environment to users of the plurality of clients; and awatermark program stored on the memory and comprising acomputer-readable program of instruction executable by the processor to:receive security information for an avatar in a virtual world; create awatermark for the avatar comprising the security information; andassociate the watermark with the avatar, wherein the securityinformation defines recording privileges of the avatar for other virtualworld users, and said watermark comprises a security preference for theavatar and graphical information that causes alteration of an image ofthe avatar when the avatar is recorded in response to the useridentification not satisfying the security preference.
 11. The system ofclaim 10, wherein said watermark further comprises contact informationfor an owner of the avatar embedded in a recorded image of the avatar.12. The system of claim 11, wherein in response to receiving a query ofthe recorded avatar image, the watermark presents the embedded contactinformation to the client of a user making the query.
 13. A computerprogram product for using watermarks to embed security features onavatars in a virtual world, comprising a computer-readable storagedevice having encoded thereon: program instructions for receivingsecurity information for an avatar in a virtual world, wherein thesecurity information defines recording privileges of the avatar forother virtual world users; program instructions for creating a watermarkfor the avatar comprising the security information including a securitypreference for the avatar and graphical information that causesalteration of an image of the avatar when the avatar is recorded in avirtual world; and program instructions for associating the watermarkwith the avatar; program instructions for comparing a useridentification with the security preference in response to a userrecording said avatar; and program instructions for altering therecorded avatar image using the graphical information in response to theuser identification not satisfying the security preference.
 14. Thecomputer program product of claim 13, wherein said watermark furthercomprises contact information for an owner of the avatar; and furthercomprising: program instructions for embedding the contact informationin the recorded avatar image in response to a user recording saidavatar.
 15. The computer program product of claim 14, furthercomprising: program instructions for presenting the embedded contactinformation in response to receiving a query of the recorded avatarimage.